Traditional DDR memory operates within a certain temperature window—often around 100 degrees Celsius or less—and going beyond that window will result in potential data loss and thermal throttling. Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new memory architecture that quite literally behaves the opposite of DDR memory, featuring an operating window of at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit (250 degrees Celsius) and can run at over 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius).
This unorthodox memory design takes advantage of properties found in batteries to store data at extraordinary temperatures. Data is stored by moving negatively charged oxygen atoms between two layers inside the memory, a semiconductor tantalum oxide and metal tantalum. These oxygen atoms are transferred between the two (different) tantalum layers through a solid electrolyte that behaves like a barrier, keeping the oxygen atoms from bouncing between one layer and the other.
